Conservation in Action

An award-winning jewel of the historic Castle Hill estate, this garden—built in 1915 and enjoyed for many years by the Crane Family—will once again be a place of beauty and contemplation thanks to the Trustees’ conservation efforts.

A New Life for the Rose Garden

Over the last 100-plus years, time and the elements have taken their toll on the Crane’s rose garden, turning this once formal space into a romantic ruin. But the serene setting belies the lurking danger of continually crumbling columns, walkways, and stairs. The garden is, unfortunately, becoming more unsafe for visitors every day. Further, the surrounding woods have grown to a point that blocks the sun needed to grow roses here.

The Trustees understands how much our visitors love this space and has decided to embrace the beauty of the garden’s current condition while making it a safer and more welcoming place. We are working to bring back key historic design elements and extend the life of the garden by reconstructing the fountain, stabilizing the columns, and rebuilding a portion of the pergola. Overgrown trees are also being cut back to restore the original vistas.

What About the Roses?

We suspect that many of the original roses had to be grown in a greenhouse and transplanted to the garden when the Cranes were in town. We are working to create a more sustainable design that will be evocative of the past—including some roses, along with other plants more suitable for the shade and harsh seaside elements.

Conservation in Action

Follow our conservation work—as it happens—during future visits and join us for special programs with our conservation experts as they provide in-depth looks at their contributions to the rejuvenation of this gem of a garden.

Partners

The Cranes hired some of the most prominent horticulturists, builders, and landscape designers of their day to create their gardens. Likewise, today The Trustees is enlisting the help of the following project partners: